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In Brighton, clubbers flocked to the dance floor just minutes after Pryzm nightclub threw open its doors and back in London, people queued outside Egg nightclub for more than an hour and cheered as the clock struck midnight, following a countdown from 10.Ĭhloe Waite, 37, who was first in the queue, said the occasion was “something we’re going to remember for a long time.” It’s the opposite of what we’re meant to be doing in the entertainment world.” “What’s it’s been like for the last year and a half is stopping people dancing, coming up to people who are sat at a table saying ‘You can’t dance, you can’t sing, you’ve got to keep quiet’. He added that it would still take “a long time” to catch up on lost revenues, but “to have the place rocking again is going to be so exciting”. “It should’ve been something that was there much earlier than this.” Clubbers take to the dance floor just minutes after Pryzm nightclub in Brighton threw open its doors (Photo by Chris Eades/Getty Images) That’s the biggest thing, which is kind of a little bit sad really, because we’re given back something that’s our given right, to be able to dance in a bar, in a club. “Finally, we’re going to be able to dance. He said: “People are treating it like a very special occasion, like a New Year’s Eve type affair. Terry George, who had to close one of his three bars in Leeds due to financial pressures from the pandemic, said it felt “so special. “It’s about listening to the music and really feeling it, having a dance and not having to worry about anything that’s going on – not sitting on your chair and getting fat.”
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It bonds me, it’s amazing, it makes me feel so good. Lorna Feeney, 44, added: “That’s my life, my soul – I love dancing. People dancing in Bar Fibre in Leeds, after the final legal coronavirus restrictions were lifted in England at midnight (Photo: Ioannis Alexopoulos/PA Wire) In Leeds, patrons queued to enter Bar Fibre, as one said she was “absolutely ecstatic” to be heading into a club again. Heaven wasn’t the only club to open its doors, as people up and down England headed out for a drink and a dance as the clock struck midnight. It hopes to fundraiser over £22,000 in coming nights for charities, which Mr Joseph acknowledged have struggled even more than night life businesses from the pandemic. The club expects to have raised more than £1,000 for Macmillan Cancer from the reopening night, using its door charge to raise money for charity. Be careful, let’s look after each other, and hopefully get back to normality.”
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He told revellers: “This isn’t the end of the pandemic, but it’s the next step. The lockdown has lost the company more than £1m in rent, insurance and pension contribution costs which, Mr Joseph admitted, left him little choice but to reopen within the rules, even with concerns about recent Covid spread. The club, one of the world’s most famous gay venues, has hosted everyone from the Spice Girls to Adele on its main stage in its two decades open.īut the strike of midnight marked the first time anyone had danced in the venue since 14 March 2020, when the Pussycat Dolls were the last stars to perform. More than 600 people who had waited for hours in queues outside – that stretched from Embankment Tube Station down to Trafalgar Square – flooded in as the clock struck 19 July. One DJ admitted she was overwhelmed by how special it felt to see people enjoying themselves again, as she wiped away tears at midnight. In the tech booth, music and lighting staff looked visibly emotional as clubbing returned. Revellers at G-A-Y Heaven in central London hit the dancefloor as Covid-19 restrictions in England lifted at midnight (Photo: Benjamin Butterworth)įor a lockdown that started with ominous warning from health bosses to wash your hands long enough to sing happy birthday, it ended with crowds on the floor of this London club emotionally singing it together through the final minutes of restrictions.Īs the lockdown officially ended – on what some have dubbed ‘freedom day’ – people hugged and cheered and flocked together on the dance floor to the sound of Lady Gaga’s latest album, released during the pandemic.